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How much will this cost to repair and where should I look for hidden damage?
Front bumper damage
During my drive to work this morning a table fell out of a pick up truck in front of me on I-95. There was traffic on both sides of me so I couldn't change lanes and I didn't stop fast enough to avoid contact. The impact took off the mesh grilles around the passenger fog light and in the area in the center below the bumper. There are also a few new scratches. Fortunately, the other driver stopped and took responsibility and his insurance company has accepted the claim. I have an appointment for a repair estimate on Tuesday evening.
Other than the obvious damage, is there anything else I should have them check? The car seems to drive OK, but I have become hyper vigilant about noises and vibration. I'm wondering whether the front passenger-side rim is dented from the impact.
Also, any guesses on how much this will cost to fix? Any advice?
That's not gonna be too bad, but those grilles are a little pricey. If you didn't hit anything else major I doubt there's more damage than what you can see. A quick balance of the tires will find a bent rim, if you're curious.
The total was $1,582.41 - more than I thought it would be. Fortunately, there was no discussion of totaling the car.
Parts: $807.80
Body Labor: $345
Paint Labor: $234.60
Paint Supplies: $173.40
Miscellaneous $31
Tax $51.10
There was a "pre-tax discount" of $60.49 - I'm assuming this is part of a deal that the shop worked out with the insurance company in order to be a recommended shop.
Interesting details:
The center grille is $270
The right grille (around the fog light) is $125
I'll post pictures when the work is complete. They won't be ready for the car until a week from today and the work won't be complete until a week from Friday.
Told you the grilles were expensive lol. People don't realize how much they are. I looked them up for my AMG style bumpers on my CL, and they were insanely expensive. I have a brand new center grille for a 203 but if you're going through insurance it won't help you.
I picked up the car on Thursday. The bumper looks much better than when I bought the car. The only issues are: (1) The hood looks like it could use a repaint because it now abuts nice fresh paint and suffers by comparison; (2) I need to do a better job polishing the passenger-side headlight; and (3) The chromed plastic strip on the driver's side (which was damaged when I bought the car) looks a little tatty. I may try to find that part on line and replace it myself. Another option is to avoid being a perfectionist relative to a car that will be 14-years old in September.
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